Tainted Souls
by kryptofan974
Summary: The Prince Yuki Fan Club girls start threatening & beating Tohru, making her feel trapped. But when they seriously injure her, Yuki decides to take a stand against these girls once & for all.
1. The Start of it All

**AN: YAY! Another touching fan fiction! This time, it's Furuba! **

**Well, since school has been crazy, with progress reports being given and English work up the Yin-Yang, I haven't had much time to write anything. So I apologize if this turns out crappy. This is written from many different points of view (POVs); Tohru's, Yuki's, Kyo's, and I may write it from Motoko or Minami's POV. **

**I was watching Fruits Basket and I always thought that the Prince Yuki Fan Clubs girls were ****very ****intimidating. So, I thought up this fan fiction. It was originally meant as a one-shot, but I realized that it'll have to be longer. So…it's no longer a one-shot. **

**Also, I am following the anime adaptation, because there are MANY characters in the manga version (I'm mainly referring to the characters that were part of Yuki-kun's presidency group), and the characters I need are all in the anime; Motoko, Minami and the PYFC girls. **

**So…here you go…**

**I DO NOT own Fruits Basket. Fruits Basket is owned by Natsuki Takaya, Studio DEEN, and FUNimation.**

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**Tohru's POV:**

_I will never understand why I let some things become so bad. I guess that's just the way I am. I let go things that I shouldn't._

_When I first noticed the comments and the looks, I just disregarded them. At first, it wasn't anything to be worried about. Not even a little bit. It was normal for them to feel the way they did, and so they didn't like me, of course. I just don't know what I did wrong._

_It all started when I received that first dirty look. Even before I was hanging out with Yuki, they would get on my case a little. Uo and Hana would take care of that right away, though. But after I met Yuki, and the rest of the Sohmas, their hatred grew._

_Mom told me once that it was natural for someone to feel hatred against another being. But it became wrong once someone acted upon it in a negative way. Mom taught me that no one was truly evil; they had some trace of good in them somewhere. It just took the right person to bring it out. She knew first hand, since her parents weren't very nice, and she once belonged to an aggressive gang. I tried to look at my situation in that way; that everyone has a good side to them._

_But, it graduated from dirty looks to minor physical retaliation. They would push me in the halls when I would walk by. Just a small shove; it would make me stumble a little bit, but nothing really bad. And after, they would smirk or call me a rude name. But, I just shook it off, even though some of those names would hurt a bit. _

_Then, they started to smack the books and papers out of my hands. And they would kick them around, snickering. That's when it started to really bother me. No one would help me pick up my things from the ground, but that didn't really matter; it wasn't any of their business. And of course I did not tell Yuki, Kyo or Shigure. I couldn't. I didn't even tell Uo or Hana. It wasn't any use to get them involved. I wouldn't want anything bad to come of it. _

_One day, when the Prince Yuki Fan Club girls once more knocked the items out of my grasp, I knelt down to pick them up, and was greeted by a boot to my nose. The pain shot through my face like a bullet, but my nose was mostly numb. It was the shock that hurt it more. My hand flew up to my nose, and I whimpered slightly. The girls just walked away, laughing. _

_When I took my hand away from my nose, I saw blood in my palm. That scared me. I felt my nose, and it didn't seem broken, so I was sort of relieved. Wiping my nose and sniffling (from the blood more than tears), I picked my books and papers up, and who should come along but Momiji Sohma._

"TOHRU! HI!" _He giggled, skipping toward me. I was so glad to see him. He jumped and grabbed my arm, making me stumble a little. _

"Tohru! Hey, how are you? How's school going?" _he started asking. I smiled and chuckled. I was so happy I could've hugged him. But I stopped myself before I acted. It wouldn't be great for the Sohmas if he had transformed into a rabbit right there in the hallway._

_Momiji's bright smile was replaced by a worried frown when he saw my face. _

"Oh, Tohru, what happened? You're nose is bleeding…a lot!"

_My heart flipped. I didn't want to tell Momiji about what happened; he'd probably tell someone else. And besides, I didn't want him to be concerned either. _

"Oh, that? Well…you see…my nose was sort of…uhh, dry earlier, a-and I sneezed…and that's when m-my nose started…bleeding…" _I mildly panicked, covering my nose with my hand yet again. Momiji stared into my eyes and I prayed that he would drop the subject. He smiled slightly and stated_, "Oh, well, you should go get cleaned up."

"Oh, right. Well, nice seeing you, Momiji" _I called over my shoulder as I walked away to the girls' bathroom. Once inside, I grabbed a paper towel, wet it in the sink, and wiped the fresh blood and red crust from underneath my nose. I then took a new paper towel and pinched the bridge of my nose, and leaned forward into the sink. _

_When the bleeding stopped, I took a third paper towel, dampened it, and once more dabbed under my nostrils. I threw the towels away and walked out of the W.C. And as I traveled to class, I gave the incident a little thought. I will admit that it was frightening, the way they were picking on me; it was getting more violent. But I sighed, and tried to think of more positive things as I shuffled to class._

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"Miss Honda" _Yuki came up to me after school, _"Momiji told me that you had a bloody nose today"

_I laughed nervously. It was hard to keep anything secret with Momiji; it made me happier that I didn't tell him about the girls._

"I…uhh yeah I did…b-but it's all okay now! No more bloody nose!" _I laughed, pointing to my nose, trying to hide my fear. I'm not sure if he bought it though. I prayed that the abuse would end with the confrontation in the hallway. That way I wouldn't hide anything from my family. I wished they would just leave me alone._

_They didn't._

_The kicking wasn't the end. Their shoves got rougher. And the insults grew more hurtful. They just wouldn't leave me alone. Those Prince Yuki Fan Club girls had imprisoned me in fear; I never felt safe and couldn't think about anything other than when they would attack next. _

"Yo Tohru" _Uo asked me one day,"_What's wrong? You seem jumpier than usual."

"Yes" _Hana replied, her monotone voice chilling the air around her. _"Something's not right with you lately."

_I gulped, worried that I was giving myself away. It was true; every time someone went to talk to me, or when I would get tapped on the back, I yelped and jumped, or seemed wary before I realized who it was. And now, they were starting to notice. I took a deep breath to contain myself. I wanted nothing more than to pour out all my worries to my friends. I wanted the comfort from them and the reassurance I was safe. But, I didn't want anyone to get hurt in the process of all this, so I kept my mouth shut. _

"I-I'm fine, you guys. I…I'm just overwhelmed with school and work. I'll be fine; don't worry about it." _I waved my hand dismissively. Uo and Hana looked at each other, unsure if they should believe me, but finally let it slide._

"I thought you were fine with work. And I didn't realize that school was getting to be a problem" _Uo admitted. I giggled anxiously, and replied, _"Well, you know, at work, they…they were just giving me little extra odd jobs here and there…but it's almost all set!" _I was losing my cool; I was panicking. I just prayed that they wouldn't notice. Uo just shrugged while Hana blinked. And that was the end of that conversation. _

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_Then, as if things couldn't get worse, I opened my locker one day to find a Post-it stuck to the inside of the locker door. I was ready to throw up from anxiety when I read what it said. _

_In big bold letters, it screamed, "__**STOP IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU**__"_

_Now, I was afraid for my life. I never imagined it would get to be this bad. Now more than ever, I wanted to report this to the principal, and Lord knows why I didn't, but my mind kept screaming NO. _

_But it wasn't just one note. _

_I received more._

_The next more scary than the last._

"_**WE'LL GET YOU"**_

"_**WATCH YOUR BACK"**_

"_**WE ARE WATCHING YOU"**_

"_**BACK OFF OR DIE"**_

_I could go on. My mind screamed at me to get help. To confide in someone or something. I needed help. Every time I saw one of those girls or even thought about the situation, my eyes would get misty. My common sense started to win; that's when I made the decision to talk to the principal of my school. _

_I started shaking while walking down the halls, nervous as hell. I took a couple of deep breaths but started wringing my hands. My nerve was slipping as I heard my echoing footsteps down the quiet hallway. I noticed the office as I approached closer. My hands were red from rubbing them so hard. My mind commanded my body to stop just outside the door to the principal's main office. I inhaled again, and exhaled a shudder. My eyes were nearly blurred from tears. My shaky hand reached for the doorknob. Almost there…just a little farther…to safety…_

_The door swung open so suddenly, that I didn't even know I got whacked in the face until I was on the ground. I winced when I felt the throbbing on my forehead. I heard a voice exclaiming, "Oh my god! I am so sorry!" _

_I kept my eyes closed, afraid I would burst out in tears. Someone had grabbed my hand and was pulling my up on my feet. I managed to squeeze open my eyes and what I saw made me freeze. A teacher was standing in front of me, looking concerned, but behind him was Motoko Minagawa. The President of the Prince Yuki Fan Club. The one girl that hated me the most. Her eyes dug into me like daggers. I gulped uneasily. I couldn't even hear the teacher ask me if I was all right. At least, not until I snapped back to reality. _

"Huh? What?" _I glanced anxiously from the teacher to Motoko. _

"I…I asked if you were all right. Are you hurt?" _he asked. I could feel the red-hot sensation of a bump on my forehead. But glimpsing at Motoko, I was afraid to say anything. The glare she gave me seemed to threaten "Say anything and I'll get you."_

"Uh, I'm f-f-fine! Sorry for the inconvenience, I…was j-just…passing by…sorry!"

_The teacher looked at me, unconvinced, but nonetheless shrugged and said some farewell phrase to Motoko, who nodded in response. He then turned and disappeared into his office. As soon as the door closed, Motoko turned to me. Her stare burned into me, and pressured me until I uttered, _"Uh…hello…"

"Don't say 'hello' to me, you little bitch" _She pushed me against the wall, and pinned my shoulder. For someone that wasn't in athletics, she was pretty strong._

"Now, you listen here and listen good; you better watch yourself. One more step out of line and we'll get you."

"But, I…I don't understand-"

"Well, maybe this will make you understand." _And before I knew it, Motoko's fist collided with my stomach. The pain exploded across my gut, and a wave of nausea came over me. She let go of my shoulders and I immediately crumpled to the floor. I whimpered in pain and started coughing, holding my stomach. I was surprised that she managed to knock the wind out of me._

"If I find you acting up one more time…we'll come after you and teach you a lesson…and next time, I won't so easy on you." _She turned around and left me there on the ground. Easy? She was going easy on me? That only made me frightened at the thought of Motoko in full combat mode._

_I managed to get up, leaning against the wall. I never knew that a punch to the stomach could hurt this bad. Or make me feel this nauseous. But that could've been my nerves. I don't know; it doesn't really matter. _

_I stood up, took a sharp turn around the corner, and sprinted down the hall as if I was being chased by a maniac. And in some ways…I kind of felt like I was...although no one was following me at the moment. Now there was no hope at all...no one I could turn to for help…_

_Tears started to overflow from my eyes. I was in constant danger now. They were after me at every corner; ready to strike. I remember I kept thinking, 'Oh god, Mom, help me. What should I do? _

_I didn't realize where I was running to, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get away from the threats and from the fear. They were coming after me, and there was nothing I could do about it. No use going to someone now; they were everywhere and knew where I would run to for shelter. That is; everywhere except for home and work. _

_I stopped running long enough to catch my breath. My chest hurt from dashing so suddenly. That's when I become conscious of my surroundings. I had raced all the way home. I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes. I couldn't enter the house looking like this. They would definitely know what was wrong. I slid the door across and cheerfully sang, "_I'm home!"

_Shigure was at the table, looking over his manuscript. He pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and looked up, smiling._

"Ah, welcome home Tohru. School was good?"

_I went to reply positively, but the image of Motoko staring at me with her hateful eyes came back to me in a flash. My stomach pain came back, and I nearly doubled over from the ache._

"Tohru, are you all right?"

_I nodded, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth. I took some deep breaths to prevent myself from vomiting right then and there. _

"My…my stomach…r-really h-hurts…its nothing-"

_But my belly decided to revolt at that moment. My hand flew up to my mouth and I zipped up the stairs before I could give Shigure a chance to answer. I threw my book bag in my room and rushed into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I knelt down in front of the bowl, opened the lip, and leaned forward, ready to puke. For what I thought was a good five minutes, I emptied the contents from my stomach into the toilet. But afterwards, all that came was dry-heaving. And tears. I couldn't keep my emotions under control. I tried to keep it as discrete as possible, but I was retching rather loud. If we had neighbors, I bet they would've heard me. I gave up trying to hide it once I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. _

"Tohru…are you all right in there?"

_I struggled to respond, but only heaved again. _

"Are you sick?"

_I swallowed hard and moaned, _"Uh huh"

_The door opened and Shigure came in. He knelt down and pulled my hair back. He then massaged my back for a while, until the gagging subsided. We were silent for a little bit, but soon Shigure asked, _"Are you okay now?"

_I nodded, and slowly got up. My stomach was so sore and I was a bit dizzy. The taste in my mouth was nasty, so I turned on the water and rinsed my mouth out with the liquid. Shigure put his hand on my forehead and stated, _"You don't have a fever. Were you feeling like this at school?"

_School. The place that I once considered as a refuge was now my prison. I shook my head and explained, _"N-no…I just…just felt bad when I was…walking home. I think it's the stress of s-school and work. It's getting to me…t-t-that's all."

_I pushed my hair back, making me feel a tad better. But, my stomach still hurt; from the barfing and the blow from Motoko. Like a zombie, I dragged my weary body to my room and collapsed on my bed. I didn't even want to change into my pajamas. I didn't feel well at all. And it was the tension that was causing my suffering; both mentally and physically._

_I sensed Shigure's presence, and his cool, calm voice broke the short silence._

"Do you need anything, Tohru?"

_I shook my head. _"No…no, I'm all right. I'm just…I'm just r-really tired…and I still don't feel good…"

"Enough said. I'll go get you some Pepto." _Shigure told me. I went to object, but my argument got caught in my throat. My eyes flew open once I realized that I needed to cook supper. _

"Uh, Shigure, wait!" _He stopped in his tracks. _"W-what…what do you w-want for dinner?"

_He just smiled and told me, _"Just get some rest. I'll be right back with the medicine. You're taking a day off from the housekeeping, all right?"

_Normally, I would've been against the thought, but I felt so awful that I accepted it, which only made me feel guilty. Shigure left and I struggled to get my pajamas on. I plopped back onto my comfy bed, curled up, and tried to fall asleep, despite my tender stomach torturing me. _

_I tried to remember what Mom said about all people having a good side. But, it was hard to apply it to this club. They were hateful and bloodthirsty. I just wished it would all end. _

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**AN: Whew! Got that done! I originally wanted this to be a one-shot, but again, I expanded and well, here it is! I think it's going well. And I can imagine those PYFC girls being this physical and cruel. **

**The next chapter will be up as soon as possible, so tata for now! X3**


	2. Something Wrong

**AN: WOW! I didn't think that there would be this much people reading this. Just…wow *fistpump* It may not seem like a lot to some, but to me it means so much!**

**I just want to say; THANK YOU! Thank you to those who are currently following this fan fiction and who have clicked the favorite/alert button. This has encouraged me so much to continue writing! **

'**Kay, this is chapter is written from Kyo's point of view. I think that he and Tohru are absolutely perfect! And Kyo's temper is hilarious! Sometimes, though, it can get annoying. -_-**

**So, anyway; poor Tohru. It gets worse as it goes on. **

**I hope you enjoy chapter 2!**

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**Kyo's POV:**

_Why didn't she tell me? Why? Something was definitely bothering her; we could all tell. She changed; she stopped eating, she acted jumpy all of a sudden, and sometimes I could hear her crying in her sleep. Or maybe she was crying herself __to__ sleep. I don't know; does it really matter? _

_Oh! And that smile of hers; the one that could give light and joy to the world all on its own, was disappearing little by little. It wasn't gone completely, but I started seeing it less and less. Something was eating away at her inside, but not like a parasite. Those things are nasty! I mean, they're bugs that feed on your insides. Disgusting!_

_Anyway, something bothered her greatly, and I don't understand why she didn't come to me and explain what was wrong. Although, with my temper, I bet I was the last person she wanted to see. But she still could've at least confided in that damn rat. Or Shigure. Or possibly Wave-Girl and that yankee. _

_It must've disturbed them too, because one day they came up to us, asking if we could all discuss this in private. Yuki and I were reluctant at first, but we soon showed them to our secret spot; the roof. This is where we could go and think in peace. Yuki and I have had our fair share of times where we needed to escape and this was my top spot. It was the perfect location for us to talk._

"She hasn't been herself lately" _Hana brought up the subject as soon as we set foot onto the roof. That was the friend that supposedly sent poison waves out at people and could sense others electric waves. I could not, for the life of me, understand that girl's ways. _

"Yeah, but whenever we asked her what was wrong, she just kept insisting that she was fine. Has she said anything to you two?" _Uo asked us. We simply shook out heads._

"No. She…she's just been acting strange at home as well." _Yuki's voice made my skin crawl. Man, that voice always pissed me off and I have no idea why._

"Tohru's trying hard to not be obvious, but…it's kinda hard not to notice" _I added._

_Yuki threw me a look, to which I hissed quietly. That must've seemed weird to Wave-Girl and Yankee, but I can't help it. When you've carried the cat part of the Zodiac curse, you get used to your animal behavior. Or course, they wouldn't know that since they don't know about our secret. He looked back at Tohru's friends and continued;_

"Even Shigure noticed. He said that it could be the stress from work and school-"

"But that's the thing;" _Uo cut in,_ "school work hasn't been that much of a hassle lately. Tohru told us herself. And I thought work was easy for her lately."

"That's what we thought. Shigure told us to leave her alone and let her have her space. That way, we won't pressure her more and make her worse. Who know?" _Yuki shrugged, _"Maybe she just doesn't want to tell us."

_That seemed to piss me off; it looked as if like Yuki didn't care either way. I hated the way he shrugged, but I also hated the way they worried about this. To me, they were kind of overreacting. I got up from my seat on the roof and started toward the exit, but a strong hand gripped my shoulder._

"Where do you think you're going?" _that yankee growled. I shook myself free from her grasp and muttered, _

"I'm going home. I'm tired, and hungry, and I find no point in sitting around, talking about this when I can go ask her right now. Instead of worrying myself sick about this, I'm going to do something about it…whether you guys approve or not."

_And I left them in silence. No one objected to my actions for once. It felt great to have them off of my back this time. _

_To tell you the truth…I was kinda overreacting too. Inside of course, seeing as I never expressed it to anyone else before. And I missed that cheerful smile of hers; the one that made me feel like it controlled the sun's rising the next day, and the sun's setting that evening. To see Tohru beam like that was one of the greatest rewards ever offered. But, hey; I'm not trying to act all mushy and whatnot. It's sort of gross to be talking about that stuff. At least for a guy like me._

_All the way home, I pondered about Tohru's strange behaviors and what could've made her act this way. Maybe she was sick. Or she could be depressed about something. But about what? Her mother? That was understandable, but she grinned each day despite the fact that her mother was gone. And the anniversary of her death was months away._

'_Maybe she just doesn't want to tell us'_

_Maybe, Yuki. But it hurts that she won't even confide in her friends and family; the ones that are closest to her. _

_I was thinking these same thoughts when I walked up to the house and slammed the door open. I guessed I was pissed, seeing that I managed to make the house shake a little. Shigure's head appeared from the kitchen._

"Kyo, is that you?"

"Who else could it be? Santa Claus?"

"Ah, welcome home, Kyo. Bright and happy as ever, I see"

"Mmmm" _was all I replied. Something smelled weird, and I inhaled deeply_.

"Hey, did you fart in here or something?"

"Heavens no!"

"Well, it smells like crap in here."

"Oh. Maybe it's my cooking. Would you be a dear and help me?"

"Aw, why do I gotta help?"

_I stopped in my tracks, realizing what he had just said._

"Wait; did you say you were cooking?"

"Yes I did. And I need your help because Yuki isn't here yet and Tohru is in bed, sick"

_Those last few words caught me by surprise. I sped into the kitchen, ready to demand an explanation to his answer, when the sight horrified me. Sprawled out all over the stove and counter were various foods and items. Some places were covered in slop, and it was just an absolute pigsty. Shigure grinned sheepishly at me and giggled. I didn't think it was so funny._

"WHAT THE HELL? DID THE REFRIGERATOR EXPLODE?"

"Kyo, you're so mean. No, it didn't. I'm trying to cook you a nice home-made dinner here, and this is the thanks I get?"

"SHUT UP! It looks like a bomb went off in here! Why are you cooking dinner again?"

"Didn't you hear me before? Tohru is sick."

"Yeah, I got that part. What happened? She was fine when we were at school."

"Well, she came home, ran into the bathroom and threw up. Ever since then, she's been resting in her room."

"Is she okay?" _I asked nervously. Not only was Shigure surprised, but I was too, to hear concern shaking my voice._

"I honestly don't know, Kyo." _All humor was gone from his tone now, _"She only threw up once, although her stomach is still giving her difficulty."

"This has got to stop. All of her suffering. I don't care if she won't tell us, there's something wrong and we need to find out what." _I muttered bitterly. _

"I know. I already called Hari to come and check on her. He'll come after dinner."

"Hatori's smart, you know." _I started. Shigure looked at me confused. I walked out of the kitchen and continued, _

"He's smart…for coming after dinner. If he came during dinner, he'd probably be poisoned!"

_I was on my way to Tohru's room when I heard Shigure comment, _

"Like you could do any better!"

'_Touché,' I thought. 'I'll give you points for that one Shigure.'_

"Just for that," _he continued, _"I'll make a plate of LEEKS! Just for you!"

_I growled. 'But for that, I'll give you a whack in the head.'_

_I was only a few steps away from the door when I could clearly hear moans coming from inside her room. 'She must be sleeping', I thought, taking a grip on the doorknob. But there was something strange about her moans. They were accompanied by something else. It was almost…almost like she was…crying._

_Quietly turning the knob and opening the door, I poked my head in. The only light was coming from the window; all the other lights were turned off. However, the orange beams were of little help, because the setting sun was causing the room to dim. I followed the glow and stared at Tohru._

_She was lying in her bed, the covers pulled up to her neck so all that was uncovered was her head. Her back was facing me, so I couldn't see her face from this angle. I saw her twitch and fidget in her sleep, letting out the occasional groan or sniffle._

_I tiptoed into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. Now I could see her face more clearly, and it didn't soothe my worries. She was pale white; the color of the chalk that they use at school. Little beads of sweat were everywhere on her face, and dark gray bags lay underneath her eyes. Her features were sunken a little, probably from feeling so crappy. I also noticed that her body seemed smaller than usual. Not that I stared at her body! Like a perv! That's Shigure's job! But…I wouldn't let him do that in a million years, uhh…aw, you get the point._

_At any rate, I laid my hand delicately on her shoulder. Tohru jerked in response and let out a small whimper,_

"Oh…oh…oh g-god, p-please…d-d-don't hurt…me…"

_I shook her a little, trying to get her to snap out of it._

"Tohru…"

"D-don't…please…!"

"Hey, Tohru…"

"No…No…NO! DON'T! PLEASE!"

_She suddenly sat up straight, breathing heavily. Her thin figure trembled furiously as she brought her hands up and covered her face. I was unsure of what to do. I read some place that you weren't supposed to wake up people who were sleepwalking, so I applied the same theory to those who woke up startled._

_But nonetheless, I once more put my hand on her shoulder. She jolted and looked up at me. It took her a good while to notice who I was. Once she did know, she relaxed._

"Kyo…"

"Hey, Tohru. How are you feeling?"

"K…Kyo…"

_Tears started to drip from her eyelids. I got startled by the sudden emotion. I mean, it was all unexpected. The big drops of water rapidly flowed down her face in small streams. She suddenly sprang toward me, but I caught her shoulders in mid-lunge so she didn't make it any farther. Tohru hung her head and let her arms droop beside her. _

"Heh, sorry about that. Guess I forgot" _she apologized, embarrassed. _

"It's ok. But I don't think I'll be that much of a help if I transform into a cat." _I let go of her shoulders, and tried to keep the uprising steam in my emotion under control. _"Tohru…" _I started, but I paused. She waited intently for me to continue. I took a deep breath and resumed, _

"Tohru…what's wrong?"

"Oh, w-well…I…I felt kind of weird t-today, and when I was…walking h-home…I…felt really nauseous…a-and when I got home, I threw up…I still…f-feel sick…b-but it's mostly my stomach."

_I looked her over, (not in the perverted sense!) and found that I wasn't mistaken; Tohru __did__ appear smaller in size. Body size! Not…ya know…cup size! Don't ever tell anyone that I said that!_

_I laid my hand on her forehead, to which she looked up at me and blushed. I felt my face turn red too, so I quickly brought my hand back._

"Well, you don't feel warm."

_And then, I don't know what in God's name made me do this, but I put my hand on her stomach. She exhaled sharply, confused as anything. I drew back harshly again, but for a different reason._

"Tohru, you're stomachs as tight as a knot!"

_I read somewhere that when you're sick with the vomit-thing, then your stomach muscles tense up, and it feels like a basketball is laying in there. But it felt like she ate a huge stone. Tohru stared at me, lost for words._

"Uh, Tohru?" _I snapped my fingers a few times. She jolted again._

"Huh? What?"

"You…spaced out…I said that your stomach feels hard…"

"Oh! Well…I, uh…like I said…my belly is still disagreeing with me…it's nothing…"

"Don't feed me that bull. I can tell your still feeling really awful. It's written all over your face"

_Tohru looked down in response and I heard small little cries coming from her again. As she cried, I noticed that her face started to turn an ugly shade of green._

"Tohru…why can't you tell me what's wrong?"

_She stayed silent for a while, but took a deep breath and replied in a shaky voice, _

"Be…Because…because…I…"

_Suddenly, Tohru jumped out of bed and ran into the hallway. I sprinted after her and followed her into the bathroom. She leaned over into the toilet, and threw up a great amount. I mean, if she hadn't aimed for the toilet, there would've been ridiculous projectile-vomit all over the restroom. Her body shook with each heave and she coughed after each throw up-episode. _

_I swear to God, I was going to see a boot come out of Tohru's mouth. She upchucked more than anyone else I have ever seen. Because of her being sick earlier, I assumed that she hadn't anything to drink or eat, but this made it seem like her stomach's contents never ended._

"Kyo, is Tohru getting sick again?" _I heard Shigure yell._

_I hollered back over Tohru's hurling. _"Yeah, she is. And it's bad too."

_I watched a movie once where someone threw up. The person helping was to hold their hair back, so they wouldn't spew all over their hair. I decided to mimic this and hold Tohru's hair out of range. _

_For what seemed like an hour (but was really only about five minutes), Tohru's dry-heaving had finally subsided, and she clung to the edge of the toilet, crying. I wanted to hug her so much, but this curse made everything inconvenient. Besides, she had just thrown up, so…it would be kind of disgusting. _

_Trying to think of tricks to help, I rubbed Tohru's rock-hard stomach lightly. She belched in response, and moaned. Another burp and she spit up into the toilet. 'Man, this girl wasn't empty yet?' I thought._

"Ohhhh…Kyo…" _she whimpered, shakily trying to face me. I could tell she was a tad woozy, since she moved like a drunken idiot and moaned as if her insides had just been taken out. I grabbed her shoulders._

"Take it easy, Tohru. You're disoriented."

_She gulped, but then wrinkled her nose at the taste in her mouth. I guided her to the sink and waited until she washed her mouth out. I then held her shoulders and led her to her room. She got under the covers and groaned again. That was a close call; she almost didn't make it. Suddenly, a thought came to mind. Just in case Tohru was too late to reach the bathroom next time, I went into the other room and brought back a trash can. That way, she could barf in there and not get it all over the floor. _

_I sat on the edge of the bed again and laid my hand on her forehead once more. Again, no fever. Could the mental strain cause her so much…pain and discomfort? Without inducing a fever?_

_I heard the door close and Yuki call out in his smooth, annoying voice, _"I'm home!"

"Welcome home Yuki! How was school today?"

"Are you…cooking?" _I had to try and stifle a laugh, so it came out in some sort of snicker. _

"Why yes. I am. Tohru isn't felling well today."

_A long pause lay thick in the air until Yuki's voice cut through it like a sharp knife. _

"She's sick?"

"Yeah. She vomited as soon as she got home. Actually…you missed her have an episode just a few minutes ago. She's resting in her room right now."

_That was enough for Yuki. I heard him approaching and I stayed there, waiting until I heard the door being pushed aside with a creek. He stood there, looking at Tohru, then at me, then back to Tohru. _

"She just finished puking her guts out." _I cursed myself inwardly for saying it in such a disgusting way. But Yuki didn't seem to mind. He walked right over to her and felt her forehead like I did._

"This is bizarre." _He finally muttered. _

"Yeah. Shigure called Hatori so he could look at her. Maybe he can figure out what's wrong with her."

_Yuki just stared seriously at Tohru, and did not utter a word for a few minutes. Maybe that remark he made earlier wasn't said without concern. Maybe he did care about how sick she was. But soon, he gently stroked her hair and whispered her name. Probably because her stomach was so sensitive and uneasy, it didn't take much to wake her up. She turned her head from the wall to look at Yuki at her left. She smiled weakly and quietly responded,_

"Oh…hey Yuki…h-how was school…?"

"It was good, Miss Honda. What happened? Are you okay?"

_Tohru looked down and I could tell she was ready to cry again. But she took a deep breath, smiled and hoarsely replied, _"I…must've caught a stomach…v-virus…or the stress at school…I'm fine, really…I'm sorry b-but I won't be able to make d-dinner for you guys. And I certainly don't feel like eating…s-s-so…if you guys want to order out, I can…pay for it-"

"Stop."

_Tohru looked at me, confused. _

"Do not-and I repeat DO NOT- say that you will pay for something like that. Your money is YOUR money; not something for us to take. You do whatever you want with it, but DON'T use it on us. We have our own money; we can pay for it. And we sure as hell are NOT going to eat Shigure's cooking!"

_I was a bit shocked to see Tohru giggle at this. But, I was really steamed that she would do something like that. We were fine on our own. She was already paying for her keep here by cleaning the house and doing the other chores. There was no need for her to use her money for us. I smiled slightly, and so did Yuki. Her laugh was just as warm and cute as her smile. It made you feel good to hear it. _

"We'll pay for the food. If you want any, you're more than welcome to have some, Miss Honda."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we're sure" _I finished, laying my hand on her head and ruffled her hair a little. That made her chuckle again, and I felt great and warm when she did._

"I better go tell Shigure not to make anything. Or we'll all be as sick as you, Miss Honda." _He grinned and left the room to go talk to Shigure. I got up from my spot on the bed, turned to face Tohru and explained, _

"I'm going to join Yuki. You try and get some rest before Hatori comes. Again, if you want anything-"

"Uh, Kyo, wait!"

_I felt something tug the hem of my shirt behind me. I twisted my head to see that Tohru had grabbed it. She looked up at me, her beautiful eyes welling up. _

"Can…can you stay for…a little bit? Please?"

_I didn't budge, but I turned and stared at her confused._

"I…I just w-want you to stay h-here for a little…while…just until I f-fall asleep…" _She clutched the covers tightly and held the covers over her mouth and nose. Something that a little kid would do if they were frightened._

_That dream must've shaken her more than I imagined. I sat back down on the edge of her bed. She settled underneath the covers and sighed contently. I wondered if my being there really made her feel protected. _

_It didn't take long before she fell asleep. Every so often, she would let out a small moan, probably because of her stomach, but she once again relaxed and quieted down. Even though she told me to stay until she fell asleep, I stayed there, gazing at her cute, sleeping face. Even when the food came, I disregarded Shigure's calls and stayed there. Wait! Did I say' cute' before? W-wait, it wasn't l-like that! I mean…uh…I…aw forget it!_

_Then, once again, she started to toss and turn, yelling out names and distress calls. I tried my best to quiet her down, but it didn't work._

"No…no…n-n-no…!"

"Tohru, come on. Wake up."

"No…leave…l-leave me alone…please"

"Tohru…" _I rested my hand on her head, but suddenly she knocked it out of the way. I was startled to see her act like that. It wasn't her. Just who was she fighting in her dream?_

"Leave me alone…Please! Please! I didn't do anything! Get away!" _She violently thrashed about, her arms swinging wildly in the air. I was completely startled, but it got worse once she opened her eyes and sat up straight. Tohru was panting hard, staring into space. I looked into her beautiful eyes, but the friendly glow was replaced by a shine of fear and defense. _

"Tohru, what's the matter?" _I slowly extended my hand out to her, but she knocked it away, and stared at me. It looked like she was a cornered animal, her eyes gleamed with ferocity and fear, and she was trembling. I tried to reach out to her again, but she shrank away, and held her hands up in front of her face._

"Please…d-d-don't hurt m-me…Please"

"Tohru…it's me; Kyo."

_She still flinched and whimpered. 'She must be sleep walking, er-talking'_, _I thought. Which was true; she was in a trance and after several attempts, I still couldn't get her awake. Until finally, I thought of something crazy to wake her up. It would be something stupid, but it was the only thing I could think of on short notice. I lunged toward her and…hugged her. I know! I know! It was REALLY dumb! But hey, what else could I do?_

_A loud __**POOF**__ was heard, and I opened my eyes to see that I had become shorter. Yep; I had turned into a cat. A small orange cat; the shade of orange that was the same as my hair. _

_Well, I guess my plan worked because Tohru blinked several times, saw my clothes sprawled on her bed, and spotted me. She opened her eyes wider and whispered, _"K…Kyo?"

"Yes" _I replied, irritated. It took ALL that to wake her up. She looked at the clothes and started, _"How…How did you-?"

"You were fussing in your sleep, and acting all scared, so I hugged you…to try and wake you up."

_She giggled a little, but it evolved into a full-blown laugh. If her giggle can make someone happy, then her laugh will make you feel overall wonderful._

_The door creaked open and there stood Yuki, Shigure, and Hatori. Now I felt embarrassed and on the whole stupid._

"Kyo, what in the world are you doing?" _Shigure asked me, confused. _

_I stuttered, unsure of what to tell them. Say the wrong thing and they'd take it the wrong way._

"I…uh…well, er…that is…"

_Tohru was at a loss for words too and I could see her panicking out of the corner of my peripheral. _

"Isn't it obvious?" _Yuki started, smiling. _"Kyo tried to pull a move on Miss Honda, and in return, transformed. I heard Miss Honda yelling."

"Kyo, you perv!" _Shigure overdramatically gasped._

"NO! It's not like that!" _I defended, losing my nerve. _

"It IS something you would try, you stupid cat."

"SHUT UP!"

"That's enough" _Hatori's deep voice cut in. He walked to Tohru and then turned back to us._

"I need to examine Miss Tohru here. That means you three need to leave. And Kyo; bring your clothes for when you transform back"

"I know!" _I spat, taking my clothes in my cat fangs and running out the door. Yuki and Shigure followed me, closing the door behind them. _

_After a while, a loud __**POOF**__ was once again heard and I transformed back. Before the smoke could clear away, I changed into my clothes, so that I wouldn't need to be naked in front of those two. That's just plain weird and awkward. _

_We all migrated to the living room. I turned on the TV, but we all stayed quiet and couldn't focus on the program. We were all wondering about Tohru and why she was acting like this. _

'_Tohru…please be okay…' I internally hoped. I then scoffed at myself. 'I'm sure she's fine. She's tough. She lived in the woods for God's sake. She can handle anything'_

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**AN: HOORAY! Chapter 2 finished! **

**Again, thanks guys for supporting this. Although, the greatest parts have yet to come, so be on the lookout!**


	3. Secret

**AN: And now I have made my decision! Thanks to the many votes and feedback I have received, I decided to make the chapter from Hatori's point of view. But don't fret; Tohru's point of view will be in the next chapter!**

**I was so excited to write this chapter, because Hatori is here and…well…you're just going to have to see. **

**Um, the really intense stuff is going to come sooner than once thought. I really wanted to make this a long fic, like, 10 chapters or so, but why beat around the bush? SO in either Chapter 5, 6, or 7, the REALLY awesome things are going to happen. I won't say any more. ;)**

**Also, I've gotten some questions about the relationship theme of this fan fic. Is it YukixTorhu or KyoxTohru?**

**The answer: IT'S BOTH! X3 since it's from many different points of view, different emotions are rising, so it's both dealing with Yuki's love and Kyo's love. I hope that no one will hate this fic for being BOTH relationships, but this way, it satisfies both Yukiru and Kyoru fans.**

**So, here you go…**

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**Hatori's POV:**

_When did I know?_

_The minute I walked into the room. _

_How did I know?_

_It wasn't too hard. The look on her face displayed her distress, and I immediately knew that something was wrong. At the time, I didn't know the specific reason. That came later. But, I tried my hardest not to show it. I guess I didn't show it because Tohru didn't show any indication about it. _

_Again, it was obvious from her expressions. Her face was the color of the snow, and her eyes were underlined with black; as if she had heavy eyeliner on. Crimson color was splashed across her cheeks and her face was dotted with little beads of sweat. _

_I casually closed the door, and turned back to Tohru. She had a frightened expression plastered on her usually happy face. Either Kyo really tried to pull a move on her or she had a nightmare._

_I strode over to the bed, sat down on the edge, and smiled slightly at her. I wanted to show her that there was nothing to be anxious about. _

"Hello, Miss Tohru. Haven't seen you in a while."

"Oh, yes! H-how are you?" _She bowed, even though she was sitting on the bed and not standing. I chuckled; even when she's ill, she makes it a big deal to be formal and polite. _

"I'm fine. But I hear you haven't been doing well"

_She jumped a little, but looked down at her hands. Her nervous tick, wringing her hands, was getting the better of her again. I had seen her do that a few times when we've been together. That was a dead giveaway that something unusual was going on; and it bothered her. A lot. It seemed as if she wanted to tell me something._

"So," _I started, rummaging through my black doctor's bag that I had brought in. _"What are your symptoms?"

_She stayed silent. I guess she didn't hear me. I waited a few seconds before turning to her and repeating, _"What symptoms have you been experiencing?"

_Tohru took a deep, shaky breath and listed them. _

"Well…lately…the stress at school…and work…it-it's just been ganging up on me" _I noticed that she flinched when she said 'ganging up on'. _"My stomach is the main problem…I-I've felt nauseous…and today, I threw up…twice…"

_She inhaled deeply, and exhaled, shuddering before she continued._

"Other than that…I haven't been hungry…I've had t-trouble sleeping…a-and…"

_She clutched her stomach and let out a loud groan. Her hand covered her mouth, but it couldn't hide the gagging noises erupting from her throat. I could tell the nausea was building up. I grabbed her shoulder gently and told her to take another deep breath. Tohru did so a few times; at first, it didn't do anything. But after a while, it seemed to make the queasiness subside. As I viewed her going through that minor spasm, her pajama sleeve slipped down a little. My eye caught something. Something on her arm puzzled and surprised me…_

"Anything else?" _I asked, digging a thermometer out of my handbag. She swallowed hard and added, _"Well…I…uh, I-"

"What about those bruises?" _I nonchalantly inquired._

_She straightened her back, sudden terror on her face._

"Those on your arm."

"I…uh, well, I…accidentally fell down some stairs! You know how clumsy I can be!" _she frantically told me, putting her hand behind her head and laughing nervously. I smiled and chuckled along, but I knew something was wrong. Something that she wouldn't tell me. The black-and-blue spots on her forearm were not the kind you receive from falling down stairs._

"Here" _I handed her the thermometer. _"Put that under your tongue for a minute"

_She did as she was told. A long silence passed until the beeping from the thermometer rang through the thick fog of stillness. She gave the thermometer back, which I examined. _

"No fever" _I put the small plastic cover on the device and placed it in my bag. I took a small flashlight in my hand, turned to Tohru and asked, _"Can you open your mouth wide and say 'Ahhh'?"

_Again, she did so without question or protest. She was that type of girl that did whatever she was told to. Even if it hurt her in the process, she did it anyway. As long as people were happy. That type of personality only made me worry for her. And as that thought came into my mind, I developed a bit of a hunch as to what was going on. But I stayed quiet. _

"Your throat is fine. How has your stomach been bothering you?"

"Oh…well…it's…it, uh…let me put it this way; it feels like a tsunami is sloshing around inside, and it upsets me to the point of wanting to throw up."

"Hmmm" _was all I replied. I had Tohru lay down flat on the bed, and then put her knees up. Once she did that, I gently massaged her stomach, trying to see how tight it was at that moment. A giggle came from Tohru; I guess I was tickling her a lot. That silly laugh made me chuckle as well, it sounded so cute coming from her. And I didn't mean that in the Lolita complex way._

_Her stomach felt like she had just swallowed a bowling ball. I was surprised to hear that she was acting so cheerful for the past few days when her stomach was so wound up and irritated. Her face became twisted with pain as I continued feeling her stomach. _

_I had her sit up slowly, but once again, the nausea started to get the best of her. Tohru leaned forward, ready to vomit, but I guided her to the waste basket right before she heaved._

_But nothing came up. It was just dry-heaving. I'm guessing she hadn't eaten or drank anything in a while. This continued for another four minutes or so, and then she stopped, lay back down on the bed, and moaned loudly._

_This wasn't normal. Definitely not normal in the least. Then again, since whenever is anything in this family normal._

_Rubbing her back, I thought about what evidence her body was giving me. I knew what was wrong with her. Or at least I was pretty sure I knew. The signs were obvious and her strange behavior only confirmed my theories._

"Well, Miss Tohru…I'm done examining you."

_She sat up slowly. I relaxed on the bed, and stayed silent for a while. Tohru looked at me in anticipation. "How was I going to approach this?" I wondered. I took a deep breath, and turned to her._

"So, why don't you tell me what's really bothering you"

_I heard her hold her breath and saw her eyes widen._

"You tell me that it's the stress from school and work. But…it's not really that, is it?"

_I saw I struck a chord with her. She started to fidget uncomfortably. _

"What…do you mean, Hatori?" _Tohru smiled, trying to hide her uneasiness. She tried so hard to mask her true feelings, but I saw right through her. And what pained me most was that she couldn't even go to one of us and talk about it. Even her close friends from school were in the dark about it. _

_I didn't reply. All I did was stare at her casually, but seriously. It only made her more distressed. Tohru looked down at her hands and rubbed them again; as if they were cold and she was warming them up._

"It…it's just school and w-work…nothing else…really…nothing else…"

_It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself that. _

_After a few minutes of watching her mangle her hands raw, I took a deep breath, and then placed my hand on her small shoulder. _

"Tohru…" _I started, _"You do know that you can come to any one of us if you need to talk, right?"

_She avoided my stare, and kept looking straight down at her scarlet red hands. _

"If you ever need to talk to us when you are in trouble, or have something on your mind, you can confide in us. We hate seeing you in so much pain and discomfort. And we can't do anything to help if you don't tell us."

_Another minute of complete silence passed by. I did not say anything else to her, but instead waited for my words to sink in._

_I suppose they got to her, because I started to hear her sniffle. I simply stared at her for a while, until the sniffling became small sobs. _

_Tohru clutched the bed covers tightly as she started to weep loudly. I was ready for Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki to come running because she was crying so loudly. However, they didn't, so I guess her whimpers were unheard by them. _

_I handed her a tissue from my bag, and she blew her nose loudly into the soft napkin._

"Oh…Hatori…" _she wailed, covering her face. _"I don't k-know w-w-what to do…I just don't know…"

_Once again, I questioned myself about approaching this issue. _

"Tohru…"_I started, gently placing my hand on her back. _"What has been happening that is making you so distraught?"

_She stuttered, _"W-w-well…I…uh…" _She immediately started wringing her hands again, but I took both her hands in my own. _

"Don't do that; it'll only make you feel tenser. Now, calmly tell me what's been bothering you so much."

_Tohru took a deep, shaky breath, and paused. Then she replied, _"Do you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Yuki or Kyo or Shigure?"

_I nodded reassuringly, letting her know that I would never spread anyone else's secrets to others. _

_So, yet again, she composed herself and explained to me what had been happening._

"Well…uh, you know that club that the girls created for Yuki? The fan club? W-well it' okay even if you didn't know…um…well, they d-don't like me, a-and…they have a funny way of showing it."

_She giggled nervously, and stared at me, trying to smile. I didn't smile back, though, and seeing this, she looked down again and continued,_

"You see…it started with the glares and horrible looks; which I was fine with…that is…until…t-they started to push me…"

_She looked down, her face turning a dark shade of green again. I wasn't that surprised to see that this situation made her sick just by thinking about it. But she proceeded with a shaky voice;_

"They pushed me…into the lockers and w-would kick my school books and papers on the ground…I would always pick them up and walk away, as if n-nothing happened…but then, one t-t-time…they, uh…they…kicked me in the face…"

_My heart twisted. 'This must've been why she had those bruises on her arms', I thought. But she didn't stop at that;_

"I h-had a bloody nose, but disregarded it…then they were calling me h-h-horrible names…ones that I can't say in mixed public…I don't want to repeat them here either…is that okay…?"

_Tohru waited for my approval, to which I nodded._

"It became such a b-big problem…that I was really jumpy…all the time…but then…they s-s-started to put…threatening Post-it notes in my l-locker…they said such…awful things…"

"Like what?" _I dared to ask, feeling a deep and bitter sense of resentment towards these fan girls. _

"Like…'STOP IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU'…a-and…'WE'LL GET YOU'…and…'BACK OFF OR DIE'…"

_She winced in pain while she went on. I dug into my bag to find some medicine to soothe her stomach. _

"That's when I decided…to go to the principal…that was today…but when I went to go see him…a t-teacher was…w-with…um…"

_I waited, somewhat anxiously, for the name._

"Motoko Minagawa…the head…of t-the…Prince Yuki F-Fan Club…"

_Tohru shut her eyes tight. I took the medicine, poured a small amount into a plastic cup and gave it to her to drink. She gently sipped it down, waiting to see if it had gone down all right. To both our surprise, it did. _

"Then…the teacher left…a-and we were alone…a-and I said 'Hi'; not bitterly or anything; just a friendly greeting…b-but then…s-she…said…" _Tohru covered her face and whimpered. _

"She…said…'Don't say 'hello' to me, bitch'…a-and…she pinned me against the wall, warning me to stay away…but when I said that I didn't understand…she…p-punched me…in the stomach…"

'_That would explain the nausea and soreness of her stomach', I thought._

"I ran home…and ever since then, I've felt…nauseous whenever…I t-think about it…"

_Tohru seized her belly and groaned; I could tell that the medication was not to settle in her after all. I gave her the wastebasket, and she hunched over it, waiting. Another two minutes passed before she heaved, bringing up the medicine that she had just drank. Tears fell down her face as she vomited, and I felt horrible about the whole thing; she was suffering a great deal, and, because of her selflessness, she didn't tell anyone. She's a good kid, but doesn't consider herself as often as she should._

_After she was done, I set the can down on the ground and tucked her in bed. She looked exhausted, and I knew she was dehydrated from throwing up. _

"You should drink some water. Even if you can't keep it down; you need to be hydrated nonetheless." _I instructed. _"I'll get you a glass of water in a little bit. So, this would explain the description I received from Shigure. You've stopped eating, acted jumpy, have not been sleeping well, and become sick all because of this bullying problem."

"Please, Hatori…don't tell anyone, please! Not even Uo or Hana…or the principal. PLEASE!" _She begged, crying fully now. _

"Why do you want to keep this a secret?"

"Because…because…I don't want…others to g-get hurt…or in trouble…I know I wouldn't want to feel l-like that…just please, Hatori! Please! I beg you, keep this a secret!"

_I smiled back at her and put my hand on her forehead. She just stared at me blankly until I spoke again._

"I promise."

_Her sweet smile came back on her face. I don't know how, but I felt torn up and happy all at the same time._

"But, you have to promise me that you'll take it easy. We don't want this turning into an ulcer or something like that. Tomorrow, I wouldn't go into school. Take a mental break and rest at home."

"But I have to go to school! My mom! My mom wanted me-"

"Wouldn't your mom want you to be happy and do your best? That can't happen if your all tied up in knots. One day wouldn't hurt. And besides, Kyo or Yuki, or your two friends could pick up the missed work."

"But what about my job…?"

"I can tell Yuki or Kyo to let them know that you're going to be absent."

_She still gave me the shocked look, but I held it steady, until she looked away and murmured, _"Okay…"

_Smiling reassuringly, I told her, _"Don't strain yourself too much, or you'll make yourself feel worse. And don't think about the situation too much; it adds to your nausea, although the punch that you received must've made it worse."

_Tohru acquiesced, settling down underneath the covers, but she was still wary._

_To help her, I assured, _"I promise that I won't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret. I'll just tell the other three that it's just a small bug or something." _I winked at her, and she giggled. _

_I packed up my small bag, laid a hand on her head and whispered, _"Hope you feel better, Miss Tohru. Be sure to call me if you need help or want to talk."

"Thanks…Hatori…" _she drowsily thanked me, and I headed out the door, taking the vomit bucket with me, and closed the door behind me. I emptied the bucket into the toilet and flushed. I left the bucket in the bathroom, preparing to tell Shigure to clean it up. Even though I care for every member in this family, I will not clean up vomit buckets if others are able to do it themselves. I know it sounds harsh and rude, but you should see Shigure sometimes; he can be the laziest person I know. _

_I calmly strolled into the living room, and was presented by Kyo's outbursts._

"Well, did ya find out what was wrong with her?" _He demanded, grabbing the collar of my shirt tightly and shaking me. I was used to this, so it didn't bother me how he was yelling and man-handling me. But, it was annoying me; if he got even a bit louder, he would wake Tohru. So, I took his hand and forced it off my collar. _

"I won't tell you unless you shut up and calm down."

_Kyo growled and recoiled to the katana, mumbling to himself. Shigure smiled with glee and Yuki had come in from the kitchen and stood in the doorway. _

_I rubbed my temples, trying to channel out Kyo's mutters. Yuki took a step forward._

"Is Miss Honda okay?"

"Well…" _I pondered on how I would explain this to them without exposing Tohru's secret. _

"Well, I checked her out; she…seems to be very high-strung lately, and from what you told me, I can see where you were concerned. Her stomach is the main problem; she just threw up a little while ago. But it seems to either be a bug or just high levels of stress, seeing as how I can't-"

"Aw, would you stop with the GOD DAMN STRESS EXCUSE?" _Kyo roared, slamming his fist hard on the table. Yuki sprang forward and smacked Kyo upside the head. _

"Shut up you stupid cat. If you keep being so reckless, you'll wake Miss Honda." _Yuki snarled at Kyo. _

"And you'll bring the entire house down." _Shigure pointed out. I sighed; never a dull moment._

"In any event, her stomach is really bothering her, so if she does want to eat, give her something light; something that she'll be able to keep down. Also, have her drink lots of fluids. I told her that she shouldn't go into school or work tomorrow, so she's going to rest here tomorrow. Shigure, I'd clean the wastebasket after she throws up, like she did a few minutes ago."

_The dog wrinkled his nose in disgust, but he agreed nonetheless._

_I turned to the two adolescents. _"I need you two to pick up any work Tohru has missed and to tell her employers that she won't be coming into work."

"Why do I gotta do it?" _Kyo complained, crossing his arms. Yuki once more hit him over the head and muttered, _"Just stop whining already."

"Damn rat!"

"Stupid cat!"

"You two, enough!" _I barked as fury and irritation starting to overpower me. _

"You two need to stop fighting! For Tohru's sake! I mean, really, can't you two ever get along? Don't you notice that she hates it when you fight? If you keep fighting, I guarantee you won't help her condition any further; you'll just make it worse!"

_They all stared at me as if I had killed someone. It isn't often that I burst out like that, so seeing me in this way startled them, I guess. At any rate, what I said was true and I hoped that they would understand what I was getting at._

_They must've understood my point, because the two teenagers stopped fighting instantly and became very quiet. Kyo slumped back to his spot at the katana while Yuki just stood in the doorway._

"Fine" _Kyo huffed. _

"We'll do it for Miss Honda." _Yuki added, leaning against the doorframe. I sighed with relief, happy to know that the two would help Tohru in her time of need. Shigure walked up to me, cautiously, and asked,_

"Um, Hari…You're not…becoming another 'Hatsuharu', are you?"

_This time, I hit Shigure on the head. Lightly, though; and I growled, _"I do not have the cow's split personality. And no; I did not go 'Black Hatori' on you"

_I shook my head in frustration, but also in humor. Shigure was always cracking jokes. The way I acted, though, did seem like I had been hanging around Hatsuharu, the cow of the Zodiac, too much._

_I headed toward the door, but turned back and added, _"If you need anything at all, then don't hesitate to call me. And let me know how Tohru is doing soon."

_And I started to walk toward my car, thinking over about what Tohru had begged me to keep secret. _

'_I don't want…others to g-get hurt…or in trouble…I know I wouldn't want to feel l-like that…just please, Hatori! Please! I beg you, keep this a secret!'_

_Driving back to the Main Sohma House gave me time to think about what was going on with Tohru. I rode at a slow pace, not even minding the fact that Akito would be wondering why I was so late. And there was no way I would explain what was going on with Tohru to __**him. **__He's not exactly the most understanding being alive. He tried to hurt Tohru at one point, and I believe he still wants to drive her away from the family. But that's beside the point; Akito was not Tohru's problem this time._

_These girls were a big threat; there was no doubt.' But why Tohru?' I wondered. 'Why choose her to be their punching bag?' _

_She bothered no one, considered everyone's feelings, and put others' needs before her own. Over all, she was one of the nicest girl's ever. It made me sick to think of bullies picking on someone as innocent as her. Why would they want to hurt her?_

_But then I realized something._

_They were the __**Prince Yuki Fan Club. **_

_They worshiped the boy…_

…_and anyone who got close to him…_

…_would have to pay the price. _

* * *

**AN: Well, I hope you guys were happy with that chapter! Took me a while but I got it!**

**Hari's not dumb; he knows what's going on. I hope no one was too OOC, but I may have strayed away from the normal character. Sorry about that. :3**

**And I also put that bit in about Akito to announce that he would NOT be starring in this fan fiction. Partially because I. HATE. HIS. GUTS! **

**Or I ****may**** include him somewhere. But it's not definite. **

**As said before, the really intense stuff is coming up soon. **


	4. Decision

**A/N: FINALLY! here's chapter 4! ****This chapter is once again in Tohru's POV. And making an appearance in the NEXT chapter are Hiro, Momiji, and Kisa! *fanfare*=^^=**

**Poor Tohru. :'(**

**And as I have said before, it gets better and more intense (or in Tohru's case, it gets worse) in the up-and-coming chapters. **

**Oh BTW, here are some Reviewer Responses to those who avidly read this story and have kept my motivation flowin':**

**SnowyTears/CONTINUE****: Thank you very much for being excited about this story. I believe you were the first person to review.**

**AngelofDarkness21: ****Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! And I'm glad you're hooked.**

**lostmoonchild****: Thanks so much for reading/reviewing and glad you're excited about this.**

**nana1996****: Thanks for reading and reviewing! **

**starlight luna: ****It seems as if you almost know what I am going to write next. Either that or you have given me inspiration from your comments. Thank you so much!**

**kouga's older woman: ****XD thank you for reading and love the enthusiasm :3**

**Obsession****239600020305****: ****Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**mayleana francisca kika Ortiz: ****Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Wai Hullo Thar: ****hahaha glad you liked Kyo's line there. XD Thanks for reading and reviewing! And I'm glad this story is 'refreshing' :3**

**Conrii: ****Thanks so much for reading/reviewing and for giving me ideas!**

**Fwah: ****Thanks so much for reading/reviewing and love the enthusiasm!**

**MissBayley: ****I'm glad the characters are in character and that the storyline is working. That was my goal lol and as for the pairing, it's both a Yukiru and a Kyoru. And I bet you could write like this :) Thanks for reading/reviewing.**

**jsweetpea10: ****I am happy that you like the story so much X3 it will get updated as soon as I can. I promise lol thanks for reading/reviewing! **

**.Kyo8: ****I thank you for the support and the feedback. XD and don't worry; Yuki will get his moment...**

**So, ENJOY!**

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**Tohru's POV: **

_I drifted…like a balloon…far away from the real world and all of its problems. The darkness was so serene and warm. It felt so welcoming, with no danger to make me feel so scared. I wished I could stay there and avoid all of the terrible problems of the world. _

_It was wonderful; feeling so calm and free. Not even those Prince Yuki Fan Club girls could hurt me here._

_Or that's what I thought._

_It was so vivid and realistic; like I wasn't in a dream. At first, I was alone in a dark world, enjoying the warmth, when out of nowhere; something hard collided with my face. The power from the force sent my spinning and flying back, and I skidded on the ground. _

_My skin burned from scraping along the ground. I opened my eyes and looked down at my legs and arms, my heart doing a flip-flop when I saw the condition of my body. Blood covered my forearms, knees, and shins. The skin was torn off completely in certain areas while it either remained on my body or was hanging on by a thread. But I don't think it was all because I skidded along the ground…_

_I looked up to see what bumped into me that could've thrown me back. All that was there were…_

_Black figures…_

_With gleaming yellow eyes…_

_Their mouths pulled back into evil smiles…_

_One held some type of item…but I couldn't see what it was…_

_The tallest one grabbed my hair and yanked me up on my knees, making me yell out in pain...Any harder, and I swear, all of my hair would've ripped off of my head…_

_The figure that had my hair locked in her strong grip looked me in the eye…_

_I couldn't see who it was…tears of pain and fright blinded me…_

_But I heard her say something…_

_In a cold, menacing voice…_

"Die"

_My eyes shot open._

_I sat up straight, panting. A thick sheet of sweat sat upon my forehead. _

_I looked my arms and legs over quickly, seeing that my skin was fine and I wasn't bleeding excessively._

_That face…_

_Those eyes…_

_What she said…_

_Hot, spicy liquid was bubbling up my throat, ready to make an appearance; I could feel it crawling up my esophagus. My hand flew up to my mouth as I felt drastically sick. But I forced the vomit back down my throat before it could surface, making me feel worse. _

_They even invaded my dreams. Those girls purely hated me. The same question rang in my head; why did they have to go out of their way just to make me feel horrible?_

_I looked up at the ceiling and moaned, _"Why, Mom? What have I done wrong? I…w-wish you were here…to h-help…"

_Little drops fell down my cheeks and I covered my face with my hands, sobbing louder than I should've been. But I didn't care then; the thought of waking up the others didn't even cross my mind. I had just noticed that I was shaking like a leaf. 'What a mess I've become' I thought, hating myself for acting like such a crybaby. I looked over at my clock, not at all surprised that it displayed "3:45 a.m." in bright green numbers. 'Great', I thought bitterly, 'I'm wide awake three hours before its time to get up.'_

_Loud footsteps echoed through the once-quiet house, growing louder as they got closer. I nearly jumped three feet in the air when the door to my room slammed open. I turned to see Yuki, in his light gray pajamas, and Kyo, in his black t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms, panting._

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" _they both yelled in unison. I simply stared at them for a while, until Yuki walked forward and wiped the sweat off of my head._

"Miss Honda, are you all right? We heard you yelling and crying."

_I felt the world around me lurch, making me lean forward, clutching my stomach. I let out a low moan, but stopped when I sensed Yuki's hand on my cheek, rubbing the tears away gently._

_A burp accidentally escaped my lips, and I tasted vomit again. _

"Miss Honda…what's the matter?" _Yuki asked, sitting down next to me on my bed. He rubbed my back which increased my burps and hiccups, and I turned red with embarrassment. He felt my forehead. His hand was so cold that it sent chills down my spine._

"You feel a little warm."

'_I'm probably run down from the anxiety' I thought. But I didn't dare say it aloud. _

"Do you want me to get her some medicine?" _Kyo asked, jerking his thumb in the direction of the bathroom. Yuki nodded, but I waved my hands frantically._

"No! No! I'm all right, really! I…I'm…fine…" _I yawned toward the end of my sentence, feeling exhausted. Yuki stared into my half-closed eyes, concern displayed in his expression. Unconsciously, I could sort of feel myself sway. My head felt like it was full of lead. _

_I heard Yuki exclaim, _"Miss Honda! What's going on? Are you okay?"

_He clutched my shoulders, trying to stop me from rocking back and forth. I let my head fall on his chest; he smelled nice. And I could feel heat coming off of his body; it was totally different from his hands…the smell…the warmth…it all…kind of reminded me…of that peaceful state of mind…where everything was warm…_

_His heart thumped in a steady rhythm. My consciousness was slipping with every beat of his heart…his smell was so comforting…his voice so cool that it could've stopped a fire right in its tracks…_

_I murmured something inaudible; __**I**__ don't even know I was trying to say. But once Yuki asked me to repeat it, I cleared my throat and answered, _"Yuki…you…you feel…so warm…"

_I heard Kyo inhale sharply while Yuki stroked my hair. He was at a loss for words._

"Miss Honda-"

"Help…me…"_ I whined, cutting him off without realizing it. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to ask for help from somewhere. I actually hadn't intended to say it in words, but to scream it in my head. However, because I was so exhausted, I didn't realize that I was saying that aloud._

"What was that, Miss Honda?" _Yuki asked, rubbing my shoulders tenderly._

"Please…" _I groaned, hot tears falling down my cheeks again. _"Please…Yuki…Kyo…p-please…h-help me…"

_And as if someone had drained me completely of my strength, my body slackened and I laid across his chest, his warm grasp embracing me. I heard a loud __**POOF**__ and I fell onto the bed, foggily knowing what had happened. Something underneath me twitched and scooted out from under my body. A tiny paw rested on my nose, and I faintly heard Kyo and Yuki yelling at me, asking me questions. But I ignored them; I was still under a spell, for the smell of Yuki was still there; his clothes were still warm too. I curled up and moaned, letting myself slip into the quiet blackness once more. _

_

* * *

_

_The space…so calm…_

_Once more, the serenity relieved me of the stress…_

_I felt lighter…_

_But yet again, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. _

_It was a tall figure…_

'_It must be the one from before!' I thought frantically._

_My heart started to pick up its pace._

_I turned around to meet the gaze with the figure._

_It started walking toward me…_

_I backed up, holding my hands up…_

_It still proceeded for me…_

_A wall came from behind me, stopping me in my tracks. My heart was ready to leap out of my chest._

"_No!" I yelled, covering my eyes and quivering. I was done for…_

"_Miss Honda…" the figure answered, stopping about a foot away from me. Wait...'Miss Honda'? _

_That sounded like…_

_I uncovered my eyes, and saw the teenage boy, with short, grayish-purple hair, standing in front of me; his gray eyes giving me a jolt of hope._

"_Yuki!" I breathed, feeling my cheeks become hot. I started to relax; I wouldn't have to worry about anyone attacking me with Yuki around. He was the type of person who seemed quiet and cool at school, but when he was forced into action, like when he would fight Kyo, he was strong and protective. _

_I wanted to run forward and hug him, but I remembered that I couldn't; he wouldn't want to transform into a rat. So, I just looked down at my feet and started wringing my hands._

"_Miss Honda…" he walked forward, his arms wide open. This confused me, but only made me feel uncomfortable as he approached closer. But I didn't know what to do; it was as if my feet were glued to the floor. _

_I was even more surprised when he managed to wrap his arms around me and hold me without changing into a rat. And I didn't do anything at first; I just waited there, becoming intoxicated by his scent, his heartbeat drumming against my own chest. _

_Finally, I decided to break away. He seemed hurt by this action, and frowned,_

"_Miss Honda…what's wrong?"_

"_It's…just…why didn't you transform?" I asked, not wanting to beat around the bush. This was something that had never happened before; and it was so sudden. He just smiled and responded with a laugh._

"_That's not important right now." _

"_Yes it is!" I spat, raising my voice. But once the phrase left my lips, I covered my mouth. I never raised my voice…to anyone! I looked down at my feet again, guilt flooding my soul._

"_I am so sorry…I didn't mean to-"_

_But I was silenced by Yuki's cold hands on my face. I flinched from the iciness of his hands. He lifted my head and drew closer to my face; I could feel his warm breath; it smelled nice too, just like his body. _

"_There's no need to apologize" he coolly answered, giving me a warm smile that sent chills down my spine. His thumb stroked my cheek gently. A spark flew through my body and I gasped at the feeling. Yuki frowned again._

"_Is something wrong?" _

_I shook my head, staring blankly into his beautiful eyes. _

"_No…nothing at all…" I replied, my voice trailing off. He leaned in closer, forcing me to back up into the wall. _

"_You…are so beautiful, Miss Honda." He cooed, nose-to-nose with me. _

_He edged close and pressed his lips against mine. My eyes opened wider than they had ever before, while thoughts rapidly flashed through my mind. _

_I remember thinking, 'OH GOD! WHAT DO I DO?'_

_But that question didn't need an answer; it was as if I knew already. I closed my eyes, placed my hands on his chest, and pressed back. My head whirled as adrenaline rushed through me the instant he kissed me. I didn't know what to think of it. It was…a wonderful…yet somehow, guilty feeling…_

_But why, oh why did I feel guilty?_

_I soon found out the reason…_

_I heard a growl off in the distance that caught my attention…_

_I turned around…_

_And there stood Kyo…_

_And a deep, bottomless feeling of shame and remorse immediately took the place of the warmness…_

"_Ya damn rat!" Kyo hollered, tears forming in his eyes. He stormed over to us slowly, every step of his making the world quake. I held onto Yuki's arm for balance while Kyo stomped over to us. Yuki clenched his fists and his cool smile switched into an annoyed frown._

"_What's the matter, you stupid cat? Afraid of a little competition?" Yuki sneered, taking a step forward. I released his arm and stood watching, motionless and unsure of what to do. _

_Kyo hissed and pointed his finger at Yuki, "You…you…YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"_

_He swung his arm wildly at Yuki's head, which I expected it to get hit. But Yuki ducked at the last minute and retaliated, delivering a powerful punch to Kyo's jaw. He was sent flying but skidded on his feet and came to a slow stop a few feet away._

_Yuki spat on the ground and growled through clenched teeth, "You stupid cat…what makes you think you'd have a chance? You're no good for Miss Honda…"_

_I believe that that sentence shocked me more than it did Kyo. I felt my heart pump about seventy miles an hour. A sharp pang of discomfort bloomed in my chest…but why…from worry?_

"_And you think you're any better for her?" Kyo snapped back. Once again, I felt an ache in my chest…was it my heart…that hurt…? _

_I held a hand up to my chest and felt my knees begin to buckle…it felt like someone had taken a sharp, metal dagger and pierced my heart…over and over…I was surprised that blood wasn't leaking out onto my hands and in my clothes…_

_Yuki sneered and coolly presented his solution to the problem._

"_Well, why don't we let Miss Honda decide?" _

_Kyo straightened up and snapped, "That's not fair on her part! You shouldn't put so much pressure on her conscience!"_

_The pain grew even more intense and I clutched my chest even tighter…I could feel a sense of being torn coming from the depths of my pain…_

"_Well, what do you say Miss Honda? Who do you like more? Me or that stupid cat?" Yuki asked, ignoring Kyo's outburst and turning to me. I looked up at the two of them with one eye closed in pain. That feeling of indecision was stronger now…my gaze darted from Kyo to Yuki…back and forth, back and forth, all the while my consciousness starting to slip…I couldn't…I didn't know who…_

"_I…I" I started to groan, swaying on my feet. Yuki and Kyo both began to look concerned when they noticed, but neither of them knew what to do._

"_I…c-can't…" Fog was surrounding me once again...did I really have to make a decision? I liked both of them…but I couldn't decide…who to…choose…_

"_I…can't…decide…" I uttered before I dropped to my knees and passed out. _

_

* * *

_

_I opened my eyes suddenly, panting heavily and feeling sweat drip down my face. I took many deep breaths and clutched the bed sheets, trying hard to control my breathing. I sat up slowly, taking in my surroundings and realizing that I was safe at home, in my bed. _

_I took another deep breath and just stared blankly around the room, happy that I didn't have to make a decision like that in the real world. But a new fear crept into my spirit; what if I really did have to make that decision?_

_Choose between Yuki and Kyo? _"Oh that's impossible!" _I muttered to myself. I couldn't possibly choose between the two boys. They both cared for me very much, and they displayed it different ways too. The two of them had their quirks, but that's what made them human…even though there weren't fully so. _

_It suddenly dawned on me; the sun was shining clearly through my window, which wasn't normal when I woke up. I usually rose before dawn; so why was-?_

_Then I looked at my clock and my heart leaped into my throat._

_It was 8:43 AM!_

"I'm late! Super late!" _I hollered as I jumped out of bed and ran out of my room. I sprinted downstairs and came to a stop in the living room. _

_I really didn't expect to see Kyo and Yuki there, since it was already past eight in the morning. But I didn't expect to see anyone in the living room, let alone Shigure, silently reading the paper. He looked at me when he heard my thundering steps down the stairs. He smiled warmly and chimed, "_Well, good morning Tohru! How are you feeling?"

_I was so distraught that I wasn't even forming real sentences…_

"Uhhh…ah…I…um…school…and…late…ahh…and…clock…uh...!"

_I went to run back up the stairs to get myself dressed, but I felt Shigure hold me back by placing his hand on my shoulder calmly. I turned back to him and stared in confusion._

_He smiled again. _"Tohru…don't you remember? Hari told you to stay home today and get some rest."

_It came back to me right at that moment. I don't know how I could've forgot the session with Hatori._

"Oh…that's right…um…s-sorry…guess I forgot…" _I could feel myself blushing._

"It's all right; nothing to apologize for. You should probably go back upstairs and go back to sleep."

_I shook my head furiously._

"Oh no! I still have the laundry to do and-"

"Tohru, Hari told you to take it easy today. That means; no housework. Understand?"

_I looked down at my bare feet and nodded slowly._

"Well, you should get back to bed." _He started playfully pushing me in the direction of the stairs. I giggled at him and started back for my room. But I turned back and smiled._

"Thank you…Shigure…"

_He nodded._

"No problem."

_By the time I got back to my doorway, I heard Shigure call;_

"If you want anything to eat, let me know!"

_I nearly stumbled over in laughter. I wouldn't want to hurt Shigure's feelings, but he's not the best cook…_

_

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**A/N: W00T! Sorry if this chapter was more...'low-key' than the others...but it'll get better!**

**Hope you liked it!**


	5. Support

**A/N: Hey guys! I know its been a while, and I am truly sorry for my absence, but I am back and will continue to update all of my stories, even if they are going to be slow updates. **

**I've been really busy but managed to finish this chapter and map out the next. So look forward to it and enjoy!**

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_"Wow…the trees are so beautiful"_ _I murmured to myself happily, taking a deep breath and breathing in the crisp autumn air. A short breeze blew by, and it ruffled my hair a little. I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear and sighed happily. I was walking down the narrow street, on the way to school, with Kyo on my left and Yuki to my right, walking with me._

_Yuki smiled slightly over at me, "Feeling better today, Miss Honda?"_

_I nodded, "Much better, thank you" I giggled a little and smiled warmly at him. I felt great; my stomach was settled, and my head was clear. And actually, I didn't feel too worried about running into the Prince Yuki Fan Club girls. I don't know why, but it felt great to not worry as much about it as I had the previous day. _

_Yuki grinned back at me sweetly, "That's good. You seem a lot happier today."_

_Kyo sighed roughly and murmured, "Yeah, good. Just don't get your friggin' stomach punched in again, alright?"_

_An echoing slap suddenly chipped the crisp air. I looked next to me, and seen that Yuki had slapped Kyo square in the face. Kyo hissed "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"_

_Yuki cleared his throat. "You stupid cat. Can't you be sympathetic for once? Or at least, nice?" _

_Kyo swung his fist at Yuki's head, but missed, as Yuki had lightning-fast reflexes, and in return, Yuki sent his fist flying at Kyo's head. It made instant contact and Kyo staggered backward; it wasn't one of Yuki's hardest, since it just made Kyo off balance. _

_Yuki instantly changed back from serious to being cheerful again. "Sorry about that Miss Honda. Let's go." _

_I chuckled nervously, and glanced at Kyo. He rubbed his cheek and muttered "Yeah, we don't wanna be late", and with that, he walked on ahead of me, yet a little bit behind Yuki, murmuring under his breath._

_I watched the two for a moment in apprehension. They always fought like that, all the time, smacking each other around like it was part of their daily routine. But I still felt bad for each of them, and worried if they would take their "hatred" for one another too far…_

_I shook my head and hurried my pace to catch up to them. I was determined that nothing was going to ruin my day. I took a deep breath and giggled as we headed inside, and I waved excitedly when I saw Uo and Hana waiting for us at the entrance of our school. _

"_Wow, you look a hell of a lot better than you did the other day" Uo commented, hugging me. Hana nodded behind her. I smiled and replied, "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. It was all that stress from..." _

_I didn't need to finish. They very well knew that I meant the threats from the Prince Yuki Fan Club. But, they changed the direction of the conversation immediately._

"_Ah, so, did you hear that we have a substitute today in History?" Uo introduced the new topic nonchalantly, but a quick glance to the side proved that she was still worried about me. I grinned to reassure her that everything was alright and dove into the conversation._

"_You call that news, Yankee? Couldn't you think of another topic to talk about?" Kyo asked harshly, itching the back of his head. _

"_What's it to you anyway, Orange Top?" Uo retorted._

"_I just don't want dull conversation like this to drone on. I like to stay awake in the morning, you know."_

_Hana interrupted the argument by calmly pointing out, "I sense some evil electric signals coming down the hallway." _

_We all turned in unison to see Motoko Minagawa strolling our way, with her lackeys behind her. Just the mere sight of them made me shake in fear. I wrapped my arms around myself and hid behind Uo in self defense. I didn't care how that looked to them, I just knew within my panic mode that I needed to hide from them, much like an animal hides when they sense danger. _

_Motoko saw how I had acted and, by the look of it, the other Prince Yuki Fan Club girls had too. Minami came right up to me and sneered._

"_Aw, what's wrong, Tohru? Afraid of little ol' us?"_

_I turned my head away from her, too frightened to speak. Minami apparently didn't like that, for she grabbed my hair and yanked me from behind Uo, causing me to squeal in pain._

"_I was talking to you! It isn't polite to-"_

_Uo stepped right in and punched Minami, making her stagger back, but also lose her grip on my hair. Uo gently pushed me a little and stood in front of me, ready to attack again. _

"_If you ever lay a hand on Tohru again, you'll get your fingers ripped off, you got that?!" Uo threatened, balling her hands up into fists. Minami and the other girls seemed worried from the threat, especially since Hana had stepped up next to her, but Motoko walked right up to Uo and smiled crookedly. _

"_You think I'm afraid of a Yankee that's gone soft?" She scoffed._

_Uo gritted her teeth. "What did you say?" _

"_You heard me. A soft Yankee and Little Miss Electric Signals. Ha! What a team!" Motoko laughed. She then turned her dark, cold gaze to me. Her eyes locked with mine, and I felt frozen to the spot. _

"_And you, Tohru. You better watch your back. You cannot hide behind your friends forever." With a flip of her hair, she turned to her lackeys and murmured, "Let's go."_

_But before, she turned to go, she smiled at Yuki and said, "So long, Prince Yuki."_

_The other girls, following Motoko, repeated the phrase in different tones and volumes. It was as if they didn't care if they bullied me in front of Yuki or not. They got their sick kicks either way, and almost looked as if they felt proud of acting that way in front of Yuki._

_Once they were around the corner, Yuki sighed angrily and muttered, "Those girls are absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe they would act so repulsively." He finished his sentence with a bitter tone to his voice. _

_Kyo looked at me, huddled behind Uo and Hana, trying to disappear inside myself, and walked toward me._

"_Tohru, you okay?"_

_I couldn't respond. I was shaking so hard and felt that anything I would say would cause me to burst into tears. So, I nodded instead, even though they knew I was the exact opposite. Uo relaxed and put a hand on my shoulder. _

"_Are you hurt at all?"_

_I shook my head and swallowed hard. "N-no. My head hurts a little from where she pulled my hair, but it's not that bad." I tried to straighten up, but kept trembling. _

_Yuki took my hand gently and told me, "Miss Honda, I cannot apologize enough for the behavior those girls have displayed lately. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be going through this…maybe…maybe I should-"_

"_Stop" I cut him off, knowing what he was about to say. They all looked at me in surprise, not expecting the urgency in my voice. "Just stop, Yuki. Don't say it. I don't care what those girls say or do to me…I won't stop talking to you or h-hanging out with you…"_

_I turned on my heels and sprinted to the bathroom, ready to cry but not wanting to in front of them. I stopped to catch my breath once I reached a sink and unleashed all of my pent up emotion. I covered my eyes and sobbed. I heard footsteps, but I didn't really care who was coming in or who would see me like this; I just wanted a place or a moment to cry. Lucky for me, though, it was Uo and Hana that had entered the bathroom. They stood by me and did not say a word until I had run out of tears. Only then did Uo hug me and murmur, "Tohru, we can go to the principal of the school and talk to him about this problem."_

_I started shaking again, "They'll torment me more f-for going to the principal."_

"_But he may just expel them from school instead."_

"_They'd find me in some way, I'm sure of it."_

"_Oh come on, I am sure that they aren't __that__ pissed."_

_I turned around and sternly replied, "Oh no? Threats, physical bullying, and then what? Actual violent acts? They aren't __that__ pissed, Uo?! THEY WANT ME DEAD!"_

_She backed off, not used to my anger, and I immediately regretted yelling at her. I bowed several times and frantically chanted, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Uo!" _

_But instead of being angry or upset, Uo sort of chuckled. "Damn, getting to see the tough side of Tohru Honda today!" She patted my back gently and told me, "Don't apologize, Tohru. I understand that you're very stressed. And I see how scared you are about going to anyone about this issue. But, still, I think it would be a good idea to go to the principal and let him know, before something bad happens."_

_Hana nodded, "These girls mean business. Those electric waves were intense…" I could not tell whether she was being serious or not, but her words sent chills up my spine either way. _

_I took a deep breath, washed my face, and thought about what they were saying. It was true, I was frightened for my life either way, but at least if I told the principal, he could help prevent the attacks within school. Drying my face, I looked at Uo and Hana and replied, "Okay, we can go to the principal's office. But…let's wait until after school, okay? I mean, I don't want us to be late for class and-"_

_Uo stopped me before I went off on a ramble. "Okay, okay. We'll wait until the day is over. That way, we have more of an opportunity to talk with him."_

_We had a plan ready to execute, and somehow, I felt safer and happier that Uo and Hana were going to help protect me. _

"_Thank you both for helping me and being there for me" I sincerely thanked them. They both smiled and hugged me._

"_Anytime, Tohru." Uo replied._

"_That's what friends are for." Hana responded. _

_The three of us walked out of the bathroom and to our first class of the day. Apparently, Yuki and Kyo had gone on ahead and were going to catch up with us again once we got to class. Sure enough, they were sitting in their seats when we had arrived. The teacher had yet to show up, and class wasn't going to start for another ten minutes, so I thought it was a perfect time to talk to both of them. I walked slowly to Yuki's desk and quietly murmured, "Hey Yuki, listen, I'm sorry about all of this, a-and how I have been acting lately, and I'm really sorry about…the hassle it has caused you." I could not look him in the eye, so I instead looked down at my feet, "B-but I-"_

"_I don't mean to interrupt, Miss Honda, but if I could say something; you haven't done anything wrong, and this has not caused a hassle for __us__. But you on the other hand…well, I'm concerned about your well being, Miss Honda." He stood up and placed his hands on my shoulders, "You have no need to apologize, absolutely no need! What those girls are doing to you is horrible; they have NO right to do that to you!" _

_Yuki began to grow furious as he went on and I looked around to see some people looking at us in confusion. I could feel his hands shaking, so I grabbed one and took it off my shoulder, holding it. _

"_Yuki, calm down" I told him anxiously. He composed himself, blushing a little since I was holding his hand, and murmured, "I'm sorry, Miss Honda. Forgive me. It's just…I wish we could do more to help you and protect you during these times. I'll have a talk with those girls and see if I can get them to back off."_

_I gulped nervously, "Y-you sure you want to do that?" I had to admit, I was a bit scared if they would lie to Yuki and, behind his back, still attack me. But Yuki looked me directly in the eye and nodded._

"_Yes. Uo, Hana, and yourself were supposed to be going to talk to the principal about the threats you have been receiving, so I thought I should at least try to do something. I'll have a talk with them after school, while you and your friends talk to the principal."_

_Touched but still a little frightened, I smiled and whispered, "Thank you Yuki. Thank you so much." I wish I could've expressed my gratitude more, but it was all I could do at the moment. Besides, Yuki smiled back and happily replied, "No problem, Miss Honda."_

_I was going to go talk to Kyo, but he was already behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped a little and turned around. He motioned with his finger for me to step outside with him. Apparently Yuki had seen the gesture and jokingly murmured, "Don't do anything shady, Kyo"_

_My face turned bright scarlet and Kyo hollered, "S-SHUT UP!" He grabbed my arm and more or less dragged me outside the classroom, where we wouldn't be disturbed._

_I was starting to become nervous. Despite what Yuki had said, I knew that Kyo would not try anything, but I didn't know if he was going to yell at me or not. Either way, I started to wring my hands and shut my eyes, ready to hear him yell. But instead, he took a deep breath._

"_Look…when something like that happens…you can't just…what I mean is…Argh! Damn it all!" He cursed, stamping his foot. I twitched at the sound of it, but I asked, "Kyo, what's the matter?"_

"_At times like these," he began, blushing and looking away, "I really wish I didn't have this curse…then I could…well, y'know…hug ya" _

_Did I hear him right? I asked myself, feeling my face burn up again. He looked very embarrassed to say it, and wouldn't look at me. I reached forward and grabbed his hand, which __really__ surprised him._

"_W-what did you say Kyo?" I asked him sincerely. He cleared his throat and repeated, "I said that I wish I could…hug you, during times like these. I mean, just to give you some comfort and…a-and…" he began to clam up and just looked down at his feet. I could feel my eyes well up, and I squeezed his hand tightly. He looked up at me and saw me start to cry, but he didn't yell or make any kind of remark; instead, he took my hand in both of his and told me, "Tohru, you need to stand up for yourself and defend yourself against what those girls say and do. Or go tell someone about them. You could've been in real trouble if it weren't for the Yankee and Electric Girl. I mean, Yuki and I would've done something, but we never got the chance. But, a-anyway, my point is, you need to defend yourself. I know it's scary and what those girls are doing to you is horrible, but you cannot let them have the satisfaction! Show them that you can stand up to their tricks!" _

_He was becoming more enthusiastic as he went on, but then fell silent again when people started looking at him. I smiled and squeezed his hand again and murmured, "Thank you Kyo. I will do my best."_

_Kyo looked back at me, and then smiled sweetly; a type of smile that made my heart skip a beat. _

"_I know you can do it and if you need any help, that damn rat, the Yankee, Electric Girl, and I will come and lend you a hand" He winked at me and once more, my face glowed a bright shade of red. _

_Suddenly, the bell rang and Kyo and I hurried into the classroom. I sat back down and proceeded to do my work. The day went on as usual, no interruptions or anything, especially from the Prince Yuki Fan Girls. Then again, I surrounded myself with Uo, Hana, Kyo and Yuki, and I didn't really look for those dreadful fangirls anyway. For a while, sometimes at intervals and then during the last part of the day, I managed to forget about the threats and enjoyed my time at school with my friends. We did the same old thing in classes and then socialized after, usually with Hatsuharu and Momiji joining us. _

_But as the day began to draw to a close, I got that painful feeling in my stomach again, but this time it was out of anxiety. I knew that eventually, I would have to go with Uo and Hana to the principal's office and talk about what those girls were doing to me. However, part of me also felt secure in the fact that this would help end all of the threats and make me feel safer at school. I remember that I held onto Hana's hand tightly as we went in and talked about it, and yes, I did end up breaking down, but I was okay because in doing so, I was getting everything out that needed to be brought to light. And with Uo and Hana, I felt even better knowing I was safe and had support._

_I told the principal everything that had happened, what those girls were saying and doing to me, in fine detail. I was worried seeing the expression on the principal's face, so I tried not to look at him. But at one point, I glanced up and saw a look of horror, anger and anxiety on his face. My gaze immediately dropped back down to my hands. _

_When I had told him everything, I took a shaky breath and buried my face in my hands. Uo put an arm around me and rubbed my back while she added a few details at the end. I didn't hear what they were, though. _

_For a while, the principal stayed silent, with his hands folded in front of his face. I took my own hands away from my face, awaiting his reaction. Finally, after what seemed like a few hours, he sighed and looked me directly in the eye. _

"_Miss Honda, I am deeply sorry for the trouble you have had in the past couple of days, and you do not need to worry. I will have a talk with these girls and do something about their behavior right away. Unfortunately, because everyone has gone home, I cannot do anything at the moment. But I will be making phone calls to their parents right away. Just know, Miss Honda that you will be safe in our care and we will make sure that this ends as soon as possible."_

_I myself stayed silent for a moment before I nodded and, teary eyed, thanked him several times for his help. He smiled back and said it was no problem and that I should take care of myself and he hoped that I was alright. I began to cry again, but out of thankfulness and shook his hand. _

_Hana had to go home to help her little brother, so we said goodbye and Uo helped clean me up. We were walking in the halls, heading to go home, when Uo stopped in her tracks and growled in frustration._

"_Damn! I left my book in my locker! I'm sorry, Tohru. Do you mind waiting here while I go get it?"_

_I was a little scared being by myself, but I shook my head and said,"No I don't mind. I'll wait here" _

_Uo smiled and said, "Thanks Tohru, I'll be back!" She sprinted down the hall and up the stairs. _

_I waited around the corner, twiddling my thumbs nervously. The school was shadowy and silent, since everyone had gone home. The sun was beginning to set, making everything tinted orange from the sunlight filtering in through the windows. A few times I heard something move, but figured it was something outside making the noise. I nonetheless jumped a couple of times. I told myself to calm down and began to think about other things. Supper was what I was trying to concentrate more on, so I kept imagining what I could make for Kyo, Yuki and Shigure tonight. I was pretty sure that Hatori was going to bring Kisa over, so I thought of something that she would enjoy as well, and if he was staying, Hatori too. _

_My thought process was suddenly interrupted by the surprise of a hand clasping over my mouth. I shrieked in panic, and soon felt another arm grab around my waist and pull me into the shadows. I attempted with all my might to escape the tight grasp of this stranger, but I was too weak compared to this person._

_Then a voice told me chillingly, "Scream and you're dead." _

_That immediately shut me up. I mean, I know the smartest thing to do was probably to keep trying to escape or alert someone else that I was being captured, but what can you do when you are told that? So, of course I froze up. But, one thing that I noticed about the voice made me partially relieved and at the same time, made me still fear for my life, as I was being dragged through shadows. _

_The voice was a female's. _


	6. Retaliation

I didn't see, or rather, couldn't see, where this being was taking me, the setting sun's rays were pointing in the opposite direction of where we were going. I still thrashed about; trying to break free, but the person holding me only tightened their grip on me. Despite the threat should I scream, I still attempted to make some kind of noise to attract attention; I didn't care from who or what, I just needed help from someone.

The being who grabbed me didn't make a sound except for a few noises while they tried to restrain me from moving. The voice still sent chills up my spine, and I feared the worst, but in my panic, I couldn't really recognize who it was.

Apparently, we hadn't moved that far when the person finally loosened their grip and threw me on the floor. I scrambled to my feet, but something collided with my head that knocked me back down again. I grabbed the side of my head and felt some kind of wet sensation on it. I pulled my hand away in fear and looked at my palm; it was covered in blood.

By this point, I had kept somewhat calm, but now I started hyperventilating in fear. It wasn't a large amount of blood, but just the sight of any blood unnerved me, especially after getting whacked on the side of the head. And if that wasn't enough to scare me, I glanced upward and nearly shrieked.

I saw these shadowy figures standing before me, in a row, their eyes glinting in the smallest rays of sunlight, like the glow of a cat's bright yellow eyes in the dark. A few of them whispered, some chuckled and laughed manically, and one kept clanging something on the ground. It made a loud metallic sound when it would hit the ground that silenced the other shadows.

It reminded me of my dream…

One of them, standing in the middle of the line, slowly walked forward, in front of the others, until its figure reached the sunlight. The rays illuminated about half of the being's face and body, giving it a creepier aura. I squinted so I could get a clearer picture of that person, who now stood directly in front of me.

The person stood there, their arms crossed over their chest, and started to chuckle.

"We've been waiting for you, Miss Tohru Honda. You shouldn't keep people waiting like that."

I gasped. I knew that voice very well and the tone sent a chill up my spine. The sudden realization hit me that I was in danger and I needed to get out of there. I once again tried to stand on my feet, but the blow to the head made me dizzy and I fell in my knees, clutching my head in pain. The person stepped forward lightly, the sound of their shoes hitting the linoleum echoing in the dark room.

"Aw, what's wrong, Tohru? Not feeling yourself?", the voice paused, "or are you just afraid?"

Cautiously, I looked back at the source of the voice, and in the light, I could just make out the face, and confirm my worries.

The voice belonged to Motoko Minagawa.

I rubbed my eyes to help clear my vision and I shakily stood up, but with lightning fast reflexes, Motoko's fist collided with my solar plexus, just like before. I collapsed on the ground in a coughing fit, blinded by excruciating pain. Through my strained groaning, the footsteps continued until I heard them stop right in front of me. Motoko clicked her tongue, partially impatient.

"Oh Tohru, Tohru, Tohru. Why'd you get yourself mixed up in all of this? You should've paid heed our warnings…but you decided to be foolish. And now you are going to pay."

The figure banging the metallic tool on the ground now held it in both hands. It was a metal baseball bat.

"W-w-wait Motoko! Let's talk for a second, there's no need to g-get violent!" I pleaded, trying to scramble to my feet. She grabbed the collar of my school uniform and hoisted me up, close to her face.

"Oh we're done talking. But, we don't think that you've been paying as close attention as we thought you would. So we'll give you one more chance before we _really _get angry" Motoko grinned, glaring into my eyes. My heart flew up into my throat at the sound of her voice.

"W-what are you going to do with me…?!" I asked, my voice squeaking in fear. Motoko only smiled, and motioned for two of the girls to help her. One of them assisted Motoko in suddenly holding me down, grabbing my ankles and wrists and holding them in place. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't break free of their grasp. The other one Motoko signaled, the one with the bat, walked over slowly, chuckling to herself. When she stepped into the small ray of sunlight, I saw that it was Minami. She held the bat in both her hands and smiled maliciously. She looked down at my right hand, and at that moment, the panic set in. But before I could scream, Motoko clamped a hand over my mouth to keep me quiet. That didn't stop me from thrashing and attempting to attract someone. I screamed as much as I could, but she made sure that she muzzled me.

Minami then took the handle of the bat in both hands, raised it over her head, and, as if in slow motion, brought the metal weapon down on my hand hard. I heard the bones breaking before I felt the excruciating pain. I hollered at the top of my lungs, tears flowing from my eyes. Minami swung the bat down on my hand again, making sure I felt the fractures. I didn't dare to look at it, but instead shut my eyes tight and continued to scream. Once more did she crush my hand, and then she stepped backward. The other girl let up her grip on me. Motoko, however, forced me up, rushed me over to the other side of the room, and threw me down.

"Now, think about our little warning, or else we'll continue our games with you" Motoko warned, her voice low and menacing. She swiftly kicked me in the side twice and motioned for her cronies to follow. They all disappeared into the darkness of the shadows, leaving me alone. I stayed on the linoleum floor, breathing heavily and thinking about how I would get back up. My side and stomach hurt, my head throbbed, and the pain in my hand was indescribable. I opened my eyes slowly and examined my hand. It looked dented and flattened, with blood all over it, as if someone had spilled ketchup all over it.

After a few moments, I held my breath, and used my working hand to grab a part of the wall to help me inch myself up off the ground. I ignored all of my injuries and limped out of the room and down the hall, trying to find where I had been waiting for Uo. I used the wall to guide me, crying silently as my body protested.

Soon enough, I began to hear someone's voice down the end of the hall, and a shadow crept along the wall. Although, I knew it wasn't one of the girls from the fan club. It sounded like Uo, wondering out loud where I was and calling my name. By some stroke of luck, I managed to stagger to where she was and leaned against the wall and murmured, "Sorry to keep you, Uo…"

She turned right around and was going to scold me, but she looked me over once and her face paled drastically.

"Tohru, what happened to you?!" she asked, worriedly. I tried my best to walk toward her, but I tripped over my feet sloppily and fell. Uo caught me, straightened me up again, and frantically asked me questions.

"What happened?! Where were you?! Are you hurt anywhere?!"

I looked up at her, weakly and held up my bloody hand. She gently held it in hers, but the contact aggravated the injury and I squeaked at the pain.

"Is…is it broken?" she asked. I nodded, crying.

She gulped and lowered her voice. "What is…_them_?"

I nodded and buried my face in her chest, sobbing loudly and shaking. Uo didn't do anything but wrap her arms around me gently and hold me while I cried. She guided me toward the door, taking it slow while I hobbled weakly, and she whispered, "I'll take you somewhere to get that hand fixed. What about that Hatori guy, the one who is related to Carrot Top and Yuki?"

I nodded. I couldn't form words through the tears. Uo held me closer as she aided me out of the school and to the clinic where Hatori worked at.

* * *

No words were exchanged while Hatori wrapped my hand in gauze. I didn't even look him in the eye. I felt too ashamed to do so. He and I were the only ones in the room while he took care of my injuries. Uo and Hana, whom Uo had called once we reached the clinic, waited outside. Kyo, Shigure and Yuki were on their way.

As if respecting my silence, he held off on questions aside from "Does this hurt?" He not only cleaned my hand and made the gauze and splint for it, he examined my rib cage and head for any other damage. Thankfully, my ribs were only fractured and there was no brain damage. My hand, however, had been completely crushed, and it would be a while before I could use it. I did my best not to cry, but the pain was unbearable, so I let the tears fall without making a sound.

Once Hatori was done fixing my hand, he put his tools back, sat in his roller chair, and rolled over to the side of the examination table. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he cleared his throat and said gently, "If you don't want to tell me how this all happened, you don't have to. But I would like to know. I can probably figure, but in the end, it's up to you."

I nodded and stayed silent, thinking, before I looked up and murmured, "I want to tell them too…"

Hatori's gaze softened, "You mean your friends, as well as Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure?"

I quietly uttered a "yes" and looked down at my feet. Hatori nodded and stood up.

"I understand. I'll let them know that you are done. But, I'd advise you to lay down for a while, you've been through a lot. Resting would benefit you greatly." With that, he opened the door and went out into the hall where Uo and Hana were. I couldn't exactly hear his words, but I could hear the tone of his voice. I gently and with great difficulty laid down on the examination table, curling up into a ball, praying that this nightmare would be over. It didn't take long before I heard footsteps coming toward the door and the creak of said door. I didn't need to open my eyes to know that Uo and Hana had come in with Hatori. I opened my eyes slightly to see Uo sitting down next to me on the examination table and Hana sitting in Hatori's chair. They were both very pale and I could tell they had been crying. I opened my eyes fully and looked up at them. Uo stroked my hair and stammered, "H-how are you feeling, Tohru?"

I didn't say anything at first, but I managed to put on a big smile and say, "I'm feeling fine, Uo."

Her face seemed to contort in pain and she looked down at her own feet.

"Tohru, please don't lie to us…" she muttered. I perked my head up a little in confusion. Hana looked at her but didn't say anything.

Uo continued, "We can tell when you are in pain…and we know you don't want to worry us…but that's not going to work. We worry about you all the time, no matter how you are feeling. And right now, we know that you must be in pain. So, don't put on that smile to make us feel better."

She looked at me, tears falling down her face. "Let us know how you really feel…"

Her speech took me by surprise, and I stayed silent, my gaze fixated on her face. The silence in the room felt heavy as no one spoke or made a sound.

Finally, in a shaky voice, I replied with a light chuckle, "Well…to be completely honest…"

Mentally, I kept scolding myself. _Don't cry…don't cry…hold it together…_

But it didn't work.

"T-to be honest…I'm scared…"

Uo and Hana both looked up, while Hatori stayed silent, looking at me. I began to shake.

"I'm scared…I f-feel trapped…I'm hurt, everything hurts and I…I…"

_Don't cry…please, don't cry…_

"I need help…I need help!"

I sat up, ignoring the pain in my ribs, head and hand, and wrapped my arms around Uo's neck, crying loudly. Hana stood up and sat on my other side on the table, rubbing my back, while Uo put one hand on my shoulder and the other in her lap. I stayed that way and cried for what felt like an eternity, when it was really only a few minutes.

I heard the door creak once again, and glanced to the side to see Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, Kisa, and Hatsuharu all standing outside the room. From the look on their faces, I realized they had heard what I had said. Kisa was the first to step forward. She ran to me, exclaiming "Sissy!" which is what she called me frequently, and grabbed my unbroken hand. Her innocent face made my eyes well up once again, and made my heart break in two.

Kyo then stepped forward after her, his voice low and soft. "Tohru, are you alright?"

Shigure shut the door behind them and explained, "Hatsuharu and Kisa were visiting at the house when your friends called us. They insisted on visiting, so we brought them along."

I looked at the group and managed to smile slightly, "Th-thank you guys for visiting." I stared at Kyo and quietly answered, "I'm alright now, Kyo…"

Yuki swallowed before asking, "If I may ask, what happened, Miss Honda?"

I took a deep breath, and without looking at anyone, shakily told them the whole story. Not just about today, but before; the harassment, the threats, and, finally, the retaliation. They all stayed silent as I explained my story. I managed not to break down during my explanation, and once everything was done, I felt relieved. Except for the pain from my injuries, I felt better, as if a load had been taken off my shoulders.

Everyone silently pondered what I had told them. Finally, Yuki was the first to speak up.

"Those fanatic girls have gone _**too far**_!" he growled, clenching his fists. He turned around sharply and started for the door.

"Where are you going, Rat Boy?" Kyo asked, half-heartedly poking fun. Yuki paused before he turned around and snarled, "It's none of your business, you stupid cat." And he exited the room, slamming the door shut. I gulped, frightened. Yuki never acted like that usually, and seeing this side of him always made me nervous.

Shigure desperately tried to patch up the awkwardness by saying, "W-well, Tohru, are you ready to go home?"

Hatori stepped in. "Actually, Shigure, I want Tohru to stay the next few nights here at the clinic. Just so I can be sure that there are no further damages."

Shigure nodded and lightheartedly responded, "Okay then!" He looked directly at me and said, "We'll check up on you in the meantime. I have to be heading back home soon, unfortunately, but I'll be back to visit."

Kyo turned to him, "We're leaving already?"

Shigure teased, "Well, you can stay the night and have a sleepover with Tohru, as long as you don't do anything dirty~!"

Kyo ran forward and punched him in the head. "That's not what I meant! And I wasn't thinking like that!" His face turned red, "I'm surprised, that's all. We just got here, so I was wondering why the visit was so short. Doesn't seem courteous."

"Oh Kyo's worried about manners for once"

"SHUT UP!"

I began to laugh at the exchange between the two of them, despite the pain in my ribs. That stopped their fighting, and they chuckled as well. In fact, everyone in the room seemed to chuckle lightly.

Kyo rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat, "Well, I, uh, guess we should be heading out. Got a few words to give to the rat." He looked as if he was going to say something to me, but all he could utter was, "Feel better soon, Tohru." He looked away, blushing.

I smiled and said, "Thank you Kyo. And thank you as well Shigure."

Shigure chuckled. Hatsuharu, who hadn't said a word, murmured, "Kisa and I will come visit as well. Sorry we came at a bad time."

I stuttered, "Oh no no its okay! I really appreciate it."

He smiled slightly and motioned for Kisa to follow him. She cheerfully exclaimed, "See you soon, Sissy!" and ran to Hatsuharu. The four of them exited the room, while Uo, Hana and Hatori remained.

Uo agreed to stay with me during the night, but Hana had to leave to take care of her brother. She did tell me that she would come by and stay the night tomorrow, however.

Hatori also wanted to stay to keep an eye on me, in case I needed him during the middle of the night. I was taken into what resembled a hospital room, changed into pajamas, and got into the bed. Hatori gave me some painkillers, due to the pain in my hand growing stronger. I soon felt as if I was completely numb. Uo sat in a chair by my side, holding my uninjured hand. We stayed in silence most of the time; she laid her head on the side of the bed to get some sleep once it grew dark, and I stared at the ceiling, thinking.

Then, out of nowhere, I murmured, "I'm sorry…"

Uo perked her head up, drowsy from dozing off. "Huh? What? What did you say?"

"I'm sorry, Uo." I repeated, my speech slurring due to the medication. She smiled softly and brushed the hair from my face.

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault. We'll deal with it in the morning. For now, get some sleep."

I nodded and smiled, feeling much safer with Uo sitting beside me and Hatori sitting in a chair across the hall.

Too bad that the feeling of security didn't last from then on…


End file.
